Dissent
by DxBellx29
Summary: Bethany/Anders fic; set in DA2 during Dissent quest; please read and review. Slightly AU; Bethany is in the Circle; and asks Anders to help her find Ella. But Bethany's "Magnetic" personality can place her in hard situations...Rated M for future chapters


**AN- I don't own any of this; I love the idea of a Bethany and Anders type deal. So anyway; this will be slightly AU, Bethany had already been put into the Circle of Magi. It starts out with the quest Dissent, however Bethany asks Anders to help her with finding her apprentice student, Ella. This will kind of encircle around a Bethany/Anders romance, going through the storyline of DA2, however I will have the AU put in it...so please, read and review :) Oh and it has a male Hawke instead of a female one...if you hadn't noticed already...**

**Chapter 1**

The blue light from the woman traveled out, as though Anders had pulled her ailment from her body; working his healing magic. He nearly dropped from fatigue; it was a hard one; she had something serious, wanting to feed on every internal organ within her. He placed his hand for support on a beam in his clinic, willing the dizziness away. His will broke as he was overcome with the smell of sweet pea flower. His eyes opened as he turned, seeing her walk into his clinic; her shoulder length raven colored hair fell loosely around her face, almost untouched by the gusts of wind outside. She smiled occasionally at the patients she passed, waiting to see Anders. Her father's staff sat in the casing clips strapped to her back; she wore her dark green Circle Magi robes, given to her the day she decided to join the wretched place. She looked more at peace than he was ever able to witness before she left; she seemed to be happy there was no more running and hiding. However, it still killed him to see her locked within the Gallows, with no freedom to walk about without being tracked or made a danger to become Tranquil. "Bethany," He greeted, his heart racing as she smiled up at him.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite Healer," She grinned.

Her smile was so genuine; it was one physical trait that drew people to her, like _flies to shit_, as her brother Garrett had put. It was a horrible analogy of such beauty and innocence that never seemed to be tainted. Either Bethany was extremely strong against the temptation of demons, or they decided to leave her be. Varric affectionately called her _Sunshine_, saying she brought the light into each room she stepped into. Anders could immediately attest to that; she brought light into his life the minute she first walked into his clinic three years ago. "W-what are you doing here?" Anders asked her, as she stepped in front of him.

"Why, Anders, am I not allowed to come see you?" She rose an eyebrow in mock surprise. He smiled down at her, almost entranced. She giggled at him, "Anders, actually, I came by to see how you were doing, and to ask a favor of you."

He slipped one of her hands into his, and covered it gently with his other hand, "For you, Bethany, _anything_." He smiled.

She looked down at her hand, as she kept it in his. Anders had been so kind to her; when she made the heavy decision to leave for the circle, Anders had come to see her almost every day. So much, that he almost began neglecting his patients; and finally Bethany had told him of an under passage from the Gallows, and she began to come see him as well as her brother and other friends. The Gallows was too much of a depressing place to come visit her, she felt. She was also able to see her family at the Estate once a week, with a Templar escort, which was commonly the Knight Captain. She placed her hand over his, and looked up at him, her smile gone, and a look of sadness in her eyes. "Anders, it's my apprentice, Ella. She's gone missing," She looked down as tears threatened to well into her eyes. "She found the passage. She promised me she would wait for _me_ to get her through, but yesterday she just _vanished_!"

Anders looked up, looking for any onlookers. He gently placed his arm around her shoulders, and led her to his sleeping area in the back, where it was more private. He sat her down on a chair, and sat across from her. "Do you think she may have not listened to your advice and maybe left on her own?" He asked her.

Bethany shook her head. "Ella won't go _anywhere_ without me." She looked up at Anders; he had helped her and a few other Enchanters smuggle mages to freedom through the tunnels since her time in the Circle. She was the only mage he trusted within the Gallows. Her brown eyes pleaded with him, "Please, I have to look for her. Ser Alrik has been cracking down on grabbing and harassing mages! Especially young girls," She shook her head, as the tears of worry ran down her cheeks, "If he had done _anything_ to my little Ella," She ground her teeth in anger, but surprisingly calmed as Anders touched a hand to her chin, forcing her to look at him.

Justice had been threatening to emerge, as the veins of blue light began to show on his skin, his eyes flashing blue, and finally back to his comforting hazel orbs as he looked at her, "I promise you, I will _find_ her. Alrik will _pay_ for _everything_ he's done, Bethany." Justice flared through his voice once more, "_Everything_."

Anders had remembered Alrik; he had tortured Karl before he was made Tranquil, that forced Anders to kill his best friend. Anders and Bethany kept hearing rumors of Alrik continuing what he called, _The Tranquil Solution_; harassing and torturing mages, even after they'd passed their harrowing. He remembered when he first visited Bethany after returning from the Deep Roads expedition, catching a glimpse of her naked back, as she changed into another pair of robes; he had seen scars that shouldn't have been there. After probing her with questions, Bethany didn't want Justice to emerge from Anders tearing apart the Gallows, so she had told him the truth; Alrik had gotten a hold of her after her Harrowing, tortured her by beating her with a switch. It wasn't long after Bethany had attempted to protect another young mage from him, that he had raped Bethany, and threatened her with Tranquility for her silence of his actions on her. Anders stood up, pacing the room, attempting to calm himself. Bethany looked up at him, "Please, don't do anything on the surface. If you could just please, help me look for Ella. I was going to get her to her parents so she'd be safe. Ser Alrik's men have been _hounding_ her, Anders."

He shook his head, the faded shroud of Justice beginning to engulf him, "What he did to _you_, Bethany!" He looked at her, standing over her, his eyes empty with a blue light, "_You_!"

Bethany felt the veil in the room shift, and she stood, staring at him, placing her hands onto his face, "Anders. Please, forget that with me. Now it is the time to help other mages like Ella, so they don't go through the same thing Karl did," He grabbed her hands, stopping her for a minute, staring at her as she brought up his friend, flashes of his hazel eyes and blue light going back and forth in his eyes, "Or myself,"

Justice calmed, and Anders looked at her. He placed a hand on her face, gently rubbing her cheek. He wanted so badly to kiss her; he'd wanted to kiss her for the past three years. He wanted to tell her he had fallen deeply in love with her, and couldn't bear the thought of any other touching her, even if with her permission. He hesitated, but then kissed her forehead, "I promise I will help you, Bethany." He looked down at her and smiled. "No matter, I will keep every promise to you. Have I ever broken any?" He asked her.

Bethany's lips curved upward, as she leaned her forehead against his lips, and sighed with content as he kissed her forehead again. "No, Anders. You have not." She smiled.

He wrapped his arms around her, and she sank into his chest, smiling as he heard her inhale deeply. "You are unlike any other mage, Bethany. I hope you realize that," He told her, as he hugged her tightly.

"As are you, Anders."

"I'll send for your brother. Stay at the Gallows to avoid any suspicions. I'm sure that Garrett and Varric at least will help with this." Anders told her. He pulled back away from her, holding her chin up, so she could look at him, "Is that all you came for?"

Bethany gulped, as she felt the heat rush to her cheeks. "No." She smiled finally. She stood up on her toes, lightly pressing her lips to his. She pulled away, giving him time to reject her. But, she was surprised as he placed his hand behind her head, pulling her lips back to his, as he deepened the kiss with a groan.

She wrapped her arms up over his shoulders as he backed her towards a wall, lifting her up slightly. He broke away looking at her, feathering kisses on her lips, as her hands entwined into his hair. _Damn you, Justice!_ He thought to himself. "I-I can't. Not like this," He forced himself to say.

He let her to her feet, but didn't let her go. She tried to pull him closer to her, but all he gave her in return was a brief, yet loving kiss on her lips. Her lips were pouted, and slightly swollen from his assault. "Bethany, please, I hope you know how I've felt for you for these past years. What I _still_ feel," He began. He looked at her, feeling horrible as she gave him a look of anticipation for an ultimate rejection, "Please, realize. I have _loved_ you since I laid eyes on you. But, I cannot take you like this," He said.

Bethany tried to hold back her smile. The only thing that rang her ears was the word _love_, and that he used it for her. She looked up at him, nodding, "I understand. Just know, I love you also, Anders. I always have."

"I'll send for your brother and Varric. I'm sure they'll want to see you before you head back to the Gallows," He smiled at her, before kissing her forehead.


End file.
